The New York Times Sunday, June 2, 1996, Section 2, Page 32 TELEVISION VIEW/Caryn James "Just a Regular Kid Being Remarkable" excerpt:
"Alex Mack" is the obvious successor to the extremely popular "Clarissa Explains It All" (still on Nick in reruns) and the "Baby Sitters Club" books, movie and television series (now in reruns on the Disney Channel). But "Clarissa" really was a know-it-all, turning to the camera and lecturing. And every incarnation of "The Baby Sitters Club" combined bits of realism with stilted, let's-do-the-right-thing dialogue. At times, both strained to be credible. "Alex" is not the only show to give girls magical powers. This fall Clarissa herself, Melissa Joan Hart, will star in a new ABC series, "Sabrina, the Teen-Age Witch," based on her recent Showtime movie. And of course the television godmother of all good witches is Samantha on "Bewitched." But even when Samantha was trying to act like a normal human, the show was primarily *about* magic. Alex's powers are a backdrop and they're not even supernatural. There's a scientific explanation; her big sister just hasn't figured it out yet.
Eric Last, November 8th 1996